Graphic Novels

I am a novelist. I've heard it said that every writer has a story length that feels natural to them, and it takes effort to change. As anyone who's ever asked me a simple question knows, my natural length is about 100,000 words, more or less. That, combined with my limited artistic skills, makes the graphic novel a challenging undertaking. Which raises the question, why do it?

I fell in love with comics years ago. My sister collected comic books — mostly Marvel but some odd ones as well. They were neatly stored in pristine condition in little plastic sleeves . . . and when she was gone I would sneak in a read them. My younger self wasn't very careful, and I may have wrinkled a few covers and gotten some peanut butter or jelly on some pages here and there. So, my sister's books were no longer pristine, but I loved the stories, the colors, and the sense of action.

When I was invited to work with professional artists, and authors who specialize in adapting long-running prose into tautly-drawn comics, my first impulse was to panic — this is way outside my comfort zone. But everyone was patient, and the process has been a lot of fun.

While trying to index the indivual issues of various comics (let alone the varient covers etc.) is a daunting task, the work is eventually released as a hardcover book. The only downside is that the booksellers don't always make it clear which titles are graphic novels, and I've gotten a number of angry letters from readers who spend money on what they assumed was the next book in the series, only to get a graphic novel . . .

Hopcross Jilly

An original story in Mercy's world, but focusing Jesse (Mercy's step-daughter). The pack was out for a quick run at the full moon, and came across a ritual burial site . . . It's a creepy mystery written to take advantage of the graphic medium!

We're proud of all the graphic novels, but we're particularly happy with this one. Both the story adaptation and the artwork are top-notch.

Cry Wolf: Part 1

A few years ago, I started another series set in the same world as the Mercy Thompson series but with different characters. The Alpha and Omega series has since become a bestselling series as well (thanks guys!). This is a graphic novel adaptation of the first book of that series, Cry Wolf.

Comic books are a different medium, and there are some subtle changes to the story. Basically, it's hard to have characters doing page after page of thinking (what boring graphics those would be), so the comics tend to be a little more action-focused. The shorter length means that it's difficult to include all the small details of the original novel, so doing a good adaptation is surprisingly difficult. The team at Dynamite did a great job!

Cry Wolf: Part 2

This is the second half of the graphic adaption of Cry Wolf. It goes without saying that this volume will make more sense if you've read the previous one!

Moon Called: Part 1

Moon Called is the first book in the Mercy Thompson series. I worked with Dynamite comics to adapt the novel to a graphic format. So, if you want to take a peek at Mercy's world, and want some pictures with your words, this one's for you!

By the way, this cover is one of my favorites. It was drawn by Amilia Woo, who also drew much of the interior art. The production schedule for these comics was demanding, but it shows what an artist can do if the time (and budget) permits!

Moon Called: Part 2

If you enjoyed the first half of the story, here's the second half!

Homecoming

This is an original story line, dealing with events that happened soon after Mercy's arrival in the Tri-Cities.

I changed several details to make the graphic novel work. Small things mostly, but an astutue reader will see some inconsistencies. The comic Mercy is going to be slightly different than the "real" Mercy. Changes need to be made to tell a good story in a different medium, and I want the comics to be enjoyable reads.